>> live from berlin, this is the "journal" on dw. the sole survivor of a german neo-nazi sell linked to an eight-year murder spree is charged. a once in a decade leadership change -- china's ruling communist party convenes to decide on the country's future. >> one of the world's largest museums focusing on the jewish people opens in moscow. german prosecutors have been tied to the woman alleged to be the third member of a neo-nazi group that killed immigrants

here for almost a decade. she is believed to be the only survivor of the national socialist underground. the other two members shop themselves a year ago. >> it was the suicide that revealed the existence of the cell, and the great mistakes made by security officials who failed to stop their crimes. >> she has been in custody for the past year while authorities put together the case against her. germany's prosecutor general says she is now being charged with involvement in 10 cases of murder allegedly committed with two main accomplices. >> members of the cell viewed their indiscriminate and malicious acts of murder as joint deeds with each of them playing their allotted role. they carried out the murders and bank robberies. the accused person give the national socialist underground

the veneer of normality and legality. >> for years, the far right trio murdered with impunity.+ their victims were nine men of turkish and greek origin and a german police woman. investigators failed to link the killings and failed to realize that racism was the motive. the plot only came to light after two committed a year ago. the german interior minister welcomed the fact that charges have now been brought but said there were other important issues to examine. >> as well as investigating the murders, we need to know how this collective misjudgment by the security services at all levels could come about. >> while the court deals with the criminal case, a parliamentary committee is also investigating the matter.

>> for more on this, we are joined by our political correspondent. this investigation has opened a can of worms. opposition government accusing security forces of having a blind eye to far right extremism. what do we make of that? >> that's right. many questions remain about why a lot of information the authorities had about the extreme right views of these people was not followed up. many different authorities at various times had different pieces of the puzzle, but nobody put it all together. was that in part because of a rivalry between different intelligence institutions? another question -- why were these murders over such a long time never link in this way? was it because authorities did not take seriously the possibility there could be a neo-nazi carrousel? as you said in a report, the police ruled out racism, racist attacks as a motive. that is one of the many

mysteries that many different investigations and inquiries are looking into. >> the suspect, when she does go on trial, it will be one of the most watched trials in germany. what can we expect from it? >> a lot depends on weather she will cooperate with record and give evidence. so far, she has failed to cooperate with police. there are another four defendants on trial in this case. whatever happens, we will learn a lot about how the extreme right networks in germany work and how it was possible for them to organize in this way to carry out this terrible series of killings. >> simon, as always, thank you very much. to asia now and china's president has opened the 18 communist party congress.

>> hu wants to boost overseas investment and boost -- step up the fight against corruption. >> chided elects a new leadership only once every 10 years, so it is reason enough for people to be curious, for their security to be tighter than usual. >> ordinary people like me cannot take part in any of this. we have to stay out. >> inside, there was a carefully orchestrated exchange of power. hu jintao said china would never copy a western political system. he then raised china's problem number one. >> we must improve the anti- corruption system and implement a system of responsibility to build a clean government. >> the delegates are all too

aware that corruption scandals and misuse of authority are the main reasons for spontaneous demonstrations and unrest. here at the provincial plan for cigarette lighters, workers also fear that economic growth could slow. a decline in foreign demand for chinese products could soon cost them a small piece of prosperity they have secured so far. that is why the communist party leadership is promising to strengthen domestic demand. >> we aim to double 2010 gdp in per-capita income for both urban and rural residents by 2020. >> higher wages could scare off foreign investors. the vice president may be unfazed by party politics, but keeping china's economy on track will put his integrity to the test when he takes over as president in march. >> to talk more about what is going on in china, i am joined

by the asian analyst from the german council on foreign relations. what i think is interesting is the chinese president morning that if the party does not tackle corruption and get rid of corruption within the party that it threatens to bring down the party and the state. is that possible? >> good in town is better than anyone about the social problems of this country, and that is perhaps the biggest time bomb in china these days. corruption is one of the major reasons, pushing public criticism against corruption. he knows i've the party is not able to deal with this problem, it might sooner or later run into severe trouble. >> that is a message for everyone inside the party. everything is so opaque. there's no way for us to gauge how corrupt the system is, the party is there. basically, he is telling people -- get things in order behind closed doors or else the whole thing is going to blow up.

>> possibly, yes. what china's leadership has learned is that tiny little events may have a major impact internationally but also in certain countries. look at northern africa and egypt, tunisia. they have studied these processes very intensely, and they know -- they have roughly 100,000 incidents of social unrest a year. >> what do we expect -- what are you expecting from the new leadership in terms of foreign policy? >> mostly a continuation of policies as we have seen the mayan past. china's major priority to stability in as regional environment but also globally. china needs stability in order to promote economic policies. >> thank you very much for coming in to talk with us. >> you are welcome. >> we will also have a look at the politically sensitive topic

of rich and poor in china, a gap that has widened over the past 10 years, coming a little bit later in the program. moving on to syria -- "i am not a puppet, and i will live and die in syria," defiant words from syria's president. >> in an interview with the satellite broadcaster of russia today, assad about offers of safe passage to another country in exchange for leaving power. >> he warned that foreign intervention in syria would have a domino impact around the world. we begin with the latest. >> here is where the first protests of assad took place. this video claims to show the result of a government air strike on the city's great mosque. meanwhile, rebels say they have taken one of the two remaining government-controlled posts along the turkish border. in a rare interview, bashar al-

assad was defiant. speaking to russian television, he ruled out the possibility he might go into exile. >> i am syrian. i will live and die in syria. >> assad warned the west against military intervention in the country and said such a move would have global ramifications and warned any intervention would have what he called a domino effect. meanwhile, syrian opposition politicians are meeting in the qatari capital to try to form a unified group. the opposition is under pressure from the west to create a government in waiting that would be ready to take over if and when assad is no longer in control. >> i am sure we shall find the

best solution to create a leadership which can face challenges. >> the group is likely to be dominated by the syrian national council. it has just elected a new secretariat, around 1/circassia of home are islamists. >> onto business news now. german engineering giant siemens has unveiled plans to cut costs by 6 billion euros over the next year-and-a-half. >> this is why it is losing ground to competitors. four-year profits falling by 27%. nonetheless, 2011 was the company's second-best year ever for earnings, reaching 4.5 billion euros. >> with the world's most powerful gas turbines as a backdrop, the executives of german engineering giant siemens were trying to send a clear signal to the market.

despite the minor setbacks, the company is still the industry's top dog. >> granted there are some problems. we are aware of problems, and we should have tackled the indifferent, but we are aware of it. we have a dedicated team that is sorting out the problem is driving the project forward. admittedly, we missed an opportunity here. >> despite the setbacks, siemens reported operating profits of 5.2 billion euros, the second- best in its history. but, still less than expected. now it wants to push ahead with a cost-savings plan by shedding loss-making divisions and cutting its workforce. with its efficiency program, it aims to catch up with its strongest rivals such as u.s. giant general electric. damascenes missed its earnings target by a wide margin and got

beaten by rivals in the number of sectors. management now plans a sweeping reform to get the company back on track. it plans to beef up core activities and sell off unprofitable units. the effect of the workforce is uncertain. >> on to the day's market action. after starting off in positive territory, european shares slipped back in afternoon trading. our correspondence sent the summary of the thursday trading session in frankfurt. and investors really liked what siemens had to say, applauding efforts to generate more profits by accelerating the efforts to save costs. it was one of the top gainers of the day, and it also supported the move in the general market for a long time. also helping that mood, the greek parliament said yes to a hard austerity program that is difficult for the population but

that will bring savings of up to 13.5 billion euros. investors liked that. the mood changed, though, to the - when the ecb came through, the european central bank, leaving interest rates for the eurozone unchanged for this month in giving an indication that will change next month. families say in frankfurt for a closer look at thursday's numbers, and the dax finished the session down by about 0.4%. euro stoxx 50 ending flat. across the atlantic, the dow is trading lower, and the euro down a tad against the greenback at a value of $1.2747. >> all right, coming up after a short break, more than 50 people are reported dead after guatemala suffered its strongest earthquake since 1976. rescue teams in san marcos worked through the night in hope of finding survivors. >> all right.

stay with us. we will be right back.

>> welcome back, everyone. guatemala's president says more than 50 people have died in a major earthquake that was felt as far away as mexico city. >> officials say the 7.4- magnitude quake struck about 160 kilometers west of guatemala city near the border with mexico. the government has issued a disaster alert, and it is feared the death toll will rise further. >> rescue teams are working against the clock, trying to locate survivors among the ruins. the earthquake hit on wednesday morning. it was felt across the country. houses collapsed. many roads are now locked with earth and rubble. western status and markets near

the mexican border bore the brunt of the quake. guatemala's president has been touring the worst affected areas. he spoke of the scale of the disaster. >> i would like to mention that this is the biggest earthquake we have had since the one that occurred in 1976. this gives you an idea of what we're facing. >> the death toll was far less and 23,000 killed 36 years ago, the president has declared a state of emergency. dozens of people are being housed in shelters and over 70,000 are without electricity. >> ok, we turn our attention now back to china, which is, of course, gearing up for a major leadership change. the president will give up his position as head of the communist party.

>> his designated successor is faced with a slew of challenges, including closing the gap between rich and poor. while millions of people have benefited from china's booming economy, others have been left behind. >> china's much vaunted harmonious society is showing signs of cracking. we have this report from beijing. >> he came to beijing 14 years ago as a migrant worker. he collects ravished. his earnings support his parents back home as well as his own family. he collects everything that can be recycled and sells it on to middlemen. they, too, are migrant workers. this is where he and his family live. down in the basement of this tenement blocks. he cannot afford a proper home.

the damp cellar is divided into compartments, and his family's spot is below the stairs. he and his wife sleep on the bed with one of his sons. the others have to sleep on the floor. all around 100 people share the bathroom and toilet. an estimated 1 million people across the city live in similar conditions. >> of course we feel this is unfair. after all, we build all these large apartment blocks, and yet, there'sfor us. we even have to fight for this small space here. authorities often clear the basements, so we migrant workers are grateful to find any living space at all. >> a few blocks away, china's elite stutz the week at a popular beijing by. the interior was designed by

philip stark. every table here has a minimum turnover of 350 euros per night. that is about the monthly wage of a migrant worker. people who come here are not super rich. they see themselves as china's so-called new middle-class. >> i used to think i could never afford any of this. now i've got used to it. i like it here. this club is exactly the right thing for us. with music and drinks, we can relax after a stressful week. >> when he has some time off, he likes to take his family on a stroll through the city. in beijing, he earns a lot more than he did back home as a farmer, so he has already made

it one step up the social ladder, and he is sure his children will have a much better life than him. >> china's steel mills are operating at full capacity. demand remains high, but that has not been the case here in europe for several decades. >> that has forced steel plants to rethink how they operate and what they produce. here's an example from the german city of hamburg. >> with the move of joystick, scrap metal was dumped into the furnace to be melted down. that happens once every hour. for years, steele was in high demand across the eu, especially for the then-booming construction industry. >> construction declined drastically due to the financial crisis. construction volume in spain, for instance, collapsed to 20% of what it had been. 80% of that business vanished

and no longer needs steel, but of course, the production capacity remains. >> he's trying to avoid cutting his plant's capacity, searching for new markets and said, looking away from its primary product, high carbon steel, to focus on higher value new alloys. to do that, the company recently invested in a new furnace, which is due to go into operation before the end of the new year. plans to increase production of new steel products to 20,000 tons in 2013. the high quality steel is much sought after by the automotive industry. >> what is know about these products for us is that we can sell them at a very attractive margin. they are normally produced in a

blast furnace, and we will be able to make them in our own plant, our production costs will be lower. >> the company plans to ramp up quality steel production quickly. in five years, it will comprise 15% of its total output, insuring the plant's 570 jobs, but it is not the only steel producer. high-quality steel is profitable, so there's plenty of competition. >> we have been planning this for two years. the first orders from customers are only now starting to come in. customers do not change their supplies that easily, so it takes some time, but now we have begun to see some success, and we are happy we will be able to grow more in the segment in the coming years. >> the difference is not immediately visible on the production line. the added value only becomes

apparent when customers use the steel in their manufacturing processes, and the company is certain it is the key to its future. >> to russia now, and moscow has finally opened its very own jewish museum after 10 years in the making. >> it has been even longer if you consider that the last one closed its doors back in 1930. the museum education center is the largest of its kind in the world. and a jewish museum in moscow, a very special place for israel's president. his parents were born in russia, a country that as he points out, millions of jews have called home. russia opposes foreign minister hailed the new museum. >> this museum is further evidence of the special relations between our countries and peoples. it is the largest museum of jewish history in the world and unique in its scope.

>> the exhibition covers 8500 square meters and testifies to the often tragic history of jews on russian and soviet soil. not to persecution was followed by suppression by stalin's anti- religious regime. when the soviet union collapsed, many jews decided to immigrate. >> these days, jews are not leaving russia. there's even a trend towards returning to russia, especially among those who grew up here. >> when it comes to political correctness and tolerance, we are less advanced than other countries. we still have some catching up to do there. the new museum includes an education center, which aims to tackle this. it gives all russians the opportunity to learn more about jewish tradition and history. >> news from the golf world now. world number one mcevoy is hoping to continue what has been a fantastic season for him,

but lightning round had to be suspended before a storm set in -- world number one roy mcelroy. >> bad weather everywhere. it was 10 days ago that the u.s. northeast was slammed by that monster hurricane named sandy. now, residents in new york and new jersey, millions who just got their power turned back on, are dealing with another major storm. >> the storm brought plummeting temperatures and heavy snow, a tough challenge for people in the new york borough of queens who are struggling to get back on their feet. >> the last thing we ever expected or wanted was no -- snow. it was a shock to us, yes. >> many new yorkers had only just seen their lights come back on when the grid failed again. that meant no electricity and in

many cases, no water and no heat. people are frustrated and shivering. >> pretty cold, man. once i get a little bit of gas, should be good. i have hot water, it is just a matter of heating up the apartment a little bit. >> my daughter is afraid. i wrapped up in blankets and put her in the middle between my husband and myself just to get the body warm. >> officials promised quick relief to victims and warned people they should stay indoors. >> good advice. >> very good advice. thanks for watching. we will see you again at the top of the hour. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--